There’s a new brew in town. Kin Seltzer is a hard seltzer made with fresh fruit at Border Brewing Co. (512 E. 18th St., KCMO). Founded in 2022, the small startup made a big splash after securing a $3 million investment from former Chiefs linebacker Dezman Moses.
City Editor Charmaine sat down with co-owner Kearra Johnson to get to know the bev brand a bit better. Let’s tap in.
Behind the brew
Kin Seltzer is led by Kearra Johnson, Joshua Lewis, and Eric Martens (Martens is also the owner of Border Brewing Co.) — the self-proclaimed first Black-owned hard seltzer brand in the US.
But what led them to make hard seltzers?
“So, one, seltzers are really good,” Johnson said. “It was [also] an untapped market for Black entrepreneurs, and we felt like we could do something really cool with just bringing the Black consumer into the world of seltzers.”
They also wanted to create a drink everyone could enjoy that provided the same social experience as harder alcohol while being light and refreshing.
Sipping on success
In true startup fashion, every single seltzer is brewed + canned by this team of three. And, trust, it’s a busy biz.
Though the company isn’t even a year old, you can already find Kin Seltzer at 30+ locations across the KC metro. And they aren’t planning to put a stopper on the growth anytime soon.
The grand goal: Getting into big box stores.
“Right now, we’re heavy on bars and smaller retail spaces [...] but the real mark of growth would be getting into the Whole Foods, the Targets,” Johnson said.
Kin Seltzer’s signature flavor is dubbed “Top Tier.” It’s a fusion of pineapple and peach with notes of lemon and lime. Unlike a typical seltzer, it’s made with fresh fruit, so the flavors are bold.
The team plans to release several more flavors soon. You can follow them on Instagram to find out when they launch.
